John Doyle

Checking in on a few trends around the league as the calendar flips to December. —When Boston College assembled the non-conference portion of its schedule well before this season started, it could bank on some serious competition against traditional power programs like Michigan State (B1G) and St. Cloud State (NCHC). But Western Michigan (NCHC) and … Read more

When people think of Northern Ireland’s association with sport, their minds usually go to competitions such as hurling, Gaelic Football and rugby. Rarely do they think of ice hockey. Boston University and Merrimack are trying to change that, at least for one weekend, as the two Hockey East schools will participate in the seventh Friendship … Read more

If the well-worn phrase is true — that the best defense is a good offense — then the Massachusetts Minutemen might be onto something this season. The No. 20 Minutemen (5-5-2 overall, 1-3-2 Hockey East) overcame a sluggish effort in a 2-1 loss at home to Providence last Thursday to rebound with a 5-1 win … Read more

Sometimes, the reason a team struggles is obvious. Through his team’s first six games, all New Hampshire sophomore forward Ryan Conmy had to do was look up. “You can look at the scoreboard and think, you can’t win games without scoring,” Conmy said. “(I) think everyone kind of knows that. You want to score goals … Read more

Don’t call it a goalie controversy. Instead, file it under a good problem to have for the Providence Friars. So far, both of the Friars’ netminders have turned in stellar performances. Returning junior Philip Svedebäck of Växjö, Sweden, is 3-1-0 with a .907 save percentage and a 2.50 goals-against average. Graduate transfer Zachary Borgiel of … Read more

Though its roster lacks a returning senior from last year, Northeastern will nevertheless be relying on veteran leadership for success this season. While much has been made of the heralded freshman classes that highlight the rosters of crosstown rivals Boston College and Boston University, the Huskies’ top two scorers — forward Jack Williams (2-4-6) and … Read more

The biggest challenge facing Maine as it kicks off Hockey East play this weekend might be leaving the confines of the Harold Alfond Sports Arena, where it’s been virtually unstoppable since the start of last season (16-2-2), and heading into a two-game series at Northeastern’s Matthews Arena, where they’ve been anything but in recent years. … Read more

Some of college hockey’s elite teams ease into their schedule, opening the season against less-heralded programs from small conferences. Not the case for Boston College this year. The Eagles, ranked No. 2 in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll and picked first in Hockey East by both the coaches and the media, kicks off its … Read more